Security over points of entry such as sports venues, public and private facilities, and international ports of entry has rapidly become an important national security priority in recent years. With the proliferation of computers, computer networks, and other electronic devices and networks into all aspects of business and daily life, the concern over secure access and verification has grown tremendously. The ability to secure points of entry is particularly important for commerce, government, and entertainment endeavors that often attract large numbers of people to a single location. The ability to protect private data and assure validity of verification data is also of great concern.
A problem that is inevitably encountered after providing high levels of security over points of entry is with the developing backup of people wanting to pass through the points of entry where security is increased. For example, large sports venues are challenged with making sure that people entering a venue are authorized (ticketed) to gain access to the venue, but with increasing concern over threats to large congregations of people in public venues, venue operators are also having to be concerned that venue attendees are not bringing weapons, explosives, or harmful chemical/biological agents into the venue. Currently, general observation or searches are conducted of venue attendees and then attendees must also present a ticket or season pass to gain entry into a sports venue. Thousands of people are typically passing through gates as the points of entry into a sports venue. Any additional security measures than what is already being provided would likely only further slow down the process of providing venue attendees with access to the venue.
Many people also pass through points of entry on a regular basis. Such is the case at the international border crossing between El Paso, Tex. and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico where tens of thousands of people cross daily from home to work and back between these two large cities of neighboring countries. At sports venues, season pass holders, and venue employees gain regular access to sports venues. Secure facilities, such as government buildings and manufacturing plants, have several employees accessing a facility on a regular basis. In all three scenarios, it is difficult for point of entry personnel to recognize hundreds or thousands of people that are authorized to pass through a point of entry and manage its security.
The present inventors believe that Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology can be used to improve point of entry security and passage control. RFID is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader; others are designed to read at very close proximity to a RFID tag. Radio-frequency identification involves RFID interrogators (also known as readers or detectors) and tags (also known as labels). Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. There are generally three types of RFID tags: active RFID tags, which contain a battery and can transmit signals autonomously; passive RFID tags, which have no battery and require an external source to provoke signal transmission; and battery assisted passive (BAP) RFID tags, which require an external source to wake up, but have significant higher forward link capability providing greater range. RFID tags are currently printable. New RFID tags with circuitry deposited by simple printing technologies can make it cost effective to tag low-value products on retail shelves for information or purchasing purposes. It is believed that mobile phones with built-in RFID scanners can let consumers access information about tagged products or even pay for them without waiting in line. RFID tags can also be read at varying distances, depending on the tag and the reader. For example, passive Ultra-HighFID tags can be read at a distance of several meters, depending on the reader. There is also wide use of RFID tags in medical applications. RFID tags embedded under human skin to carry access information, medical records, and other data have been proposed in recent years.
What are needed are systems and methods that can provide enhanced security over points of entry while also facilitating access through points of entry by regular authorized users. Based on the foregoing need, those skilled in the art can appreciate that despite the advances in security over facilities, ports of entry, and entertainment venues, most methods and systems of providing point of entry security and facilitating access therefore are still plagued with various human, physical, and electronic drawbacks. The present inventors believe that the RFID-based systems and methods and systems disclosed herein overcome many drawbacks known in the art.